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Melatonin laced brownies target of ban by two Massachusetts mayors

Melatonin brownies are not pot brownies, but they might as well be with the stir that the "Lazy Cakes" are causing with two officials in Massachusetts.

You have heard of pot brownies, now there are melatonin brownies, which have the sleep aid baked right into them. Much like pot brownies, the melatonin brownies deliver this sleep aid medication by ingesting the brownie.

The brownies called, “Lazy Cakes” are sold in Massachusetts and they are causing a stir with a couple of city officials. Two mayors are trying to ban the melatonin laced brownies and are citing the cartoon character on the package of the “Lazy Cakes” as the reason, according to the Boston Herald.

“Lazy Larry” appears on the packaging of “Lazy Cakes” and Mayor William Flanagan, along with New Bedford Mayor Scott W. Lang, feel that the packaging is enticing to kids. Flanagan calls the brownies “despicable.”

The mayor of New Bedford thinks that kids will end up eating the melatonin brownies because the cartoon character makes the package look like a snack for kids. Flanagan has drafted an ordinance to ban the “Lazy Cakes,” and Mayor Lang is also working on a ban for his city.

“Lazy Cakes” spokesman Laura Finlayson says “Lazy Larry,” the cartoon character on the label, is not targeting kids. The melatonin brownies are clearly labeled, “for adult use only.”

“Melatonin is a hormone that regulates your circadian rhythm, or the 24-hour cycle of biological processes called your "internal body clock." It helps oversee sleep, hormone production, cell repair, brain activity and other body functions. The pineal gland in your brain makes most of the melatonin you need from the brain chemical serotonin,” according to the a

Th melatonin which is available commercially as a supplement is obtained from the pineal glands of cattle or is made synthetically. This form of melatonin is sold as an over-the-counter (OTC) sleep aid, according to Yale.

Darkness triggers your body's natural melatonin production it is stopped by light. Melatonin levels in your blood are highest at bedtime, then fall and stay very low during the day.

Research on the Melatonin supplements offers little evidence that Melatonin supplements really work with most sleep problems, including insomnia.

Some evidence does exist that in certain circumstances, Melatonin supplements are effective. They can help a condition called delayed sleep phase syndrome. A person with this condition has difficulty falling asleep until very late at night, but then wakes early in the morning. This is recommended for use for only a short period of time, days or weeks, according to Yale. Jet lag is another sleep problem that may get some help from a melatonin supplement, “but studies are not clear whether it acts to alleviate daytime fatigue or to treat sleep disturbances associated with time zone changes,” according to Yale.